Post-hole auger



(No Model.) HMO; GLOYD.

POST HOLE AUGER.

No. 401,999.. Patented Apr. 23, 1889..

Email I012) WIZWESSE'S, c9

" V UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY O. CLOYD, OF UNION CITY, INDIANA.

POST-HOLE AUGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,999, dated April23, 1889.

Application filed August 23, 1888. Sen'al No. 283,517. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY C. OLoYD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Union City, in the county of Randolph and State of Indiana,have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Post Hole Augers,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a sideelevation of my anger set for boring a hole; Fig. 2, a similar Viewshowing the auger-blades closed ready for lifting out of the completedhole; Fig. 3, a detail view of one of the auger-blades; Fig. 4, ahorizontal sectional view on the line 00 m of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a detailsectional view of catch for holding operating-bars and blades in properrelative position while boring, and Fig. 6 a horizontal sectional viewon line y y of Fig. 1.

My invention hasv relation to that class of augers WhGI'QiD'tWOadjustable concavo-c0nvex blades are employed for boring a cylindricalhole in the ground for the reception of fence or other posts, theseblades being so attached to two pivoted operating rods or levers that assoon as a hole of the required depth is obtained they may be closed ormoved toward each other and utilized to lift the loosened earth out ofthe excavation, as will be i more fully hereinafter set forth.

The essential objects of this invention are, first, to provide the augerwith blades of such a shape that when they are closed to lift theloosened earth out of the bored hole they will come close together andcompletely close the space between the lower ends of the blades, wherebyall the fine dirt and loose sand may be lifted out of the completedhole, and, secondly, to provide animproved catch for automaticallylocking and securing the pivoted operating-rods when adjusted forboring, as will be fully hereinafter described.

Iwill now proceed to describe the construction of my improved auger,referring to the accompanying drawings by letters.

A A designate the two vertical operatin rods, provided at their upperends with oppo: sitely-turned handles or arms A A. The lower ends ofthese rods are rigidly attached, by means of clamping-lugs a,respectively, to

two angular plates or castings, B B, which are pivoted together by thepivotal bolt or pin 1), the said lugs or ears a being formed on theouter faces of the plates and bent down over the rods, as clearly shown.Instead of this method of securing the rods A Ato the angular plates, itis evident that I may bolt or rivet them thereto should I so desire.Each plate B has formed on it a lateral continuation or extension, B,which rests against the adjacent face of the other plate, as shown inFigs.

1 and 2. These continuations B serve to relieve the pivotal bolt fromany undue strain while boring, and also to guide the blades in theirlateral movements and keep them in perfect alignment with each other.ward extensions of the plates B B are riveted the curved shovels orblades 0 0, each of which have one of their vertical edges 0 sharpened,the blades being so attached to the plates that the sharpened edges comeupon opposite sides of the auger, as is usual with this class ofdevices. The lower ends of the blades are pointed in order to enter theground, and on one side these pointed ends are sharpened, as at 0',these latter cutting-edges forming continuations of the verticalcutting-edges c. On the opposite side from the inclined cutting-edge cof each blade a portion of the lower pointed end of the blade is cutaway, as at c, the notch thus formed extending from the vertical centerline of the blade to its edge, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The notches or recesses c" are upon opposite sides of the auger, so thatwhen the two blades are brought together, after boring, the sharpenedpointed portion 0 of one blade will To the downproject a little beyondthe opposite blade,

permitting the lower curved edges of the cutout portions to come closeup and rest against the curved interior face of the opposite blade,

other, is a catch, D, provided with a notch, d, in its face for thereception of the free rod A, and with oppositely-projecting andrearwardly-inclined lips d (l, which serve to guide the said free barinto the notch 01. This catch serves to hold the operating-rods inposition during the operation of boring, and when it is desired to openor close the blades all the operator has to do is to spring theoperatingrods a short distance apart, when they are free to be moved ineither direction.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the operating-rods, the angular plates secured tothe said operating-rods by means of malleable lugs a, formed integralwith the said plates, the bolt 1) for pivoting these plates together,and the blades secured to downward extensions of the plates,substantially as described. I

2. The combination of the pivoted angular plates, the operating-handlessecured thereto, and the two concavo-eonvex blades C 0, these bladesbeing each pointed at its lower end and sharpened upon one of itsvertical edges, each blade also having a portion of its lower pointedend cut away, as at c, the cut-away portions being upon opposite sidesof the auger, whereby, when the blades are brought together afterboring, the space between their lower ends will be entirely closed, asand for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the blades, the angular arms or plates pivotedtogether, the operating rods attached to the said arms or plates, andprovided with oppositely-projecting handles, and the catch D, attachedto one of the said rods, and provided with a notch in its face andoppositely-projecting inclined or beveled lips, as and for the purposeherein set forth.

4. The combination of the operating-rods A A, provided with the handlesA A, projectin g in opposite directions, the catch D, secured to one ofthe said rods, and provided with oppositely-projecting inclined lips d(l, the angular plates B B, secured, respectively, to the lower ends ofthe operating-rods and pivoted together, each of these plates beingprovided with oppositely-projecting extensions or guides B B, and theblades 0 C, curved and pointed, as described, and provided with notchesc" at their lower ends upon opposite sides of the auger, all arranged asand for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY C. CLOYD.

Witnesses:

WEBSTER LAMBERT, RUDY FRICK.

